Home sweet Home!!

I have made the transition home! The feeling is very Bittersweet, it is good to be getting back to my new "normal" but was tough leaving Mom and Dad. I am glad to be reunited with Brayden and we have spent quite a bit of time together already. I am being cautious as to not to over do it too much, but there is a lot to be done!

The results:

The Bronch from the 15th showed no rejection and just a little bit of infection, which is currently being treated by oral antibiotics. The blood levels, xrays, EKG, and bone density tests all came back fine! The most impressive statistic is my PFTs went from 101% to 111%!!!! Lungs of steel now!

I had a meeting with my transplant coordinator and figured out everything that I need to have done monthly can be done through my local doctor. I have my dentist, eye, blood, family doctor, all setup, working on PFT and XRAY. All results will be reported back to transplant team and any drastic changes will be handled by them and Barnes, smaller infections can be handled by family doctor with approval from transplant team.

I unloaded the packed car, and have slowly gotten things back where they go. I still have some organization to do but all in all things are well. I have been working out at the YMCA and have not quite been able to run on a treadmill, it feels awkward, I have walked some steep variable inclines, building the muscle back up and have been rotating with a stationary bike. The lungs outlast my body all day now, such an amazing switch. The neighbors have a trampoline and I was playing with Brayden and the neighbor kid, and probably jumped for 30 minutes. Vast improvement from that of the pre transplant days. I thought jumping was a great idea at the time, till the next day when I woke up and my legs were sore!! It reminded me of the first time I worked out in Texas and couldn't walk the next day. I am not complaining by any means just incredibly excited. I have been moving a lot more so my ribs are a little sore. Brayden thought it would be a great idea to take a walk one evening last weekend, since it was so nice out so we did that as well. I would say we walked close to 2 miles with Madde and himself and he hung in there the whole time! Walking in talking, the kid can go!

Its very good to be back at my house! Its been an incredible ride, one that I'm sure isn't over yet! Stay tuned and thank you for all the thoughts, prayers and well wishes!

Day 1 of 3-month testing

The blood work, x-ray and pft's all turned out well.

My drug levels are fine. X-ray are fine, and my lungs sounded clear.

My PFT's were the best I've ever had, they registered at FEV1 of 111% The doctor claims that PFT's peak between 3 and 6 months, I'm voting for at least 115% we shall see. I contribute most of the success to being in the gym and working out at the YMCA. I can walk 2.75 miles in 45 minutes now with varying levels of incline. My legs are getting stronger as is the rest of my body.

I have a meeting on Thursday with the my transplant coordinator to discuss the logistics of a possible release. I will not know when I will be released until my bronchoscopy results come back at the end of this week. I have the procedure on the 15th.

Other news, is that last week I had my g-button (feeding tube) removed. The hole has healed up fine and should go pretty close to completely away. My scars are healing up perfectly and hopefully will be even more faint in the coming months. If not, I have battle wounds, but i'm winning!

Stay tuned for Bronch results at the end of the week.

ARB

Its been a while....

Sorry to all my blog fans I failed at a few weeks and boy were they crazy so here ya go...

Week 7

The previous visit to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor showed that I had pseudomonas and was put on a two week preventative course of IV antibiotics.

Week 8

Pft's dropped to 95% and I had a bronchoscopy. The good news of this week is that I can drive by myself! Small steps right!

Week 9

Pft's back up to 97% and a soon to end course of IV antibiotics

The results of the Bronch showed signs of acute rejection. The severity of this rejection is minimal and treated with 3-day round of IV steroids. The biopsy also showed that I cultured another bug, the bug is treated with a oral antibiotic and the a new 2-week course of IV antibiotics. Just a small set back in the road, if all goes as planned things will bounce back rather quickly. I also found out that I will not be able to return to work until the middle of April. Needless to say this set my mood back, and the high dose of steroid did not help my mood at all.

Week 10

Still doing IVs, almost done!! I developed a rash, so we stopped IVs and all new antibiotics. The rash calmed down slightly and just a severe case of steroid acne!

The greatest news yet! I blew 101% on my PFTs. Now I know most of you are asking how can you blow better than 100%? Well haven't you heard of bonus points! DUH!! ha The predicted value is based on an average for people of the same sex, height and race. Since it is a average and a measurement of the volume of Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and if you blow higher than the predicted then you obviously go higher than 100%

I had a doctors appointment this week and we decided to take my button out, blood draws and xray are only one day a week, and I only have to go to rehab at the hospital one day a week. I still have to do rehab at home and at the YMCA.

My 3-month testing was scheduled for the 14th and 15th of this month. That is my 12-week mark which I should be released to return home to get back in routine so that I can see my boy, exercise and get ready to go back to work.

In summary

A slight bump in the road was hit, I'm feeling very well and exercising better than ever. The acute rejection is treatable and in seems to be in control, we will know if its gone after the next bronchoscopy on Feb 15th.

Things are looking great for a return to Joplin here in the next few weeks! Jump for Joy!

Thanks for all the support!

AB